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Bairds Building

Situated opposite the Horseshoe Bridge and Perth Train Station, Bairds Building is one of the most striking buildings on Wellington Street. It was built as a warehouse and shop for ironmonger Levi Green in 1906, and was praised for adopting American architectural designs, although made mainly with Western Australian materials.

Designed by architect Richard Dennehy, there was one large shop on the ground floor, and a large warehouse at the rear, fitted with a crane and trolley lines running to the store lift. The first floor was a single large showroom with the front and rear walls entirely filled with glass to create excellent lighting inside. The second and third floors were divided into office space, with an impressive polished-jarrah staircase in the centre of the building.

The building was later named after the family retail business, Bairds Co, which opened its first store in Coolgardie in 1896. Within a few years, the company had opened new stores in Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie; Burt Street, Boulder; and Hay Street, Perth. In 1919, Bairds purchased the building and redeveloped it into a shopping arcade and hardware premises. The hardware store became a retail institution. Its catalogue became widely known as the farmers bible.

In December 1969, the Myer Emporium Ltd bought out Bairds and the building was rebranded. It continued to trade as a Myer until the development of Forrest Chase in early 1989, when Myer relocated to the new building. After this, Bairds Building remained empty and in 2003 it was closed by WorkSafe due to the presence of asbestos. Following extensive renovations, Bairds Building is now used as the offices of Western Australias State Heritage Office.

Detailed Description

Situated opposite the Horseshoe Bridge and Perth Train Station, Bairds Building is one of the most striking buildings on Wellington Street. It was built as a warehouse and shop for ironmonger Levi Green in 1906, and was praised for adopting American architectural designs, although made mainly with Western Australian materials.

Designed by architect Richard Dennehy, there was one large shop on the ground floor, with a basement underneath which was lit from lightwells along the footpath. At the rear of the shop was a large warehouse, fitted with a crane and trolley lines running to the store lift. The first floor of Bairds Building was one a single large showroom with the front and rear walls being entirely filled with glass to create excellent lighting inside. Of course, modern conveniences like electric light had not been forgotten. The second and third floors were divided into office space, with an impressive polished-jarrah staircase in the centre of the building.

The front façade from the second floor to the top of the gable was built in Donnybrook freestone, resting on two rolled-steel joists which were described as the largest such sections ever imported to Australia. Ceilings were made locally of stamped metal, while the jarrah floors were brought up from the Bunbury district. The office blocks were reached by one of two lifts.

Levi Green died in 1914, and the building was purchased by Bairds Company Limited to operate as a store. The first Bairds store had opened in Coolgardie, followed by branches in Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie, in 1897 and Burt Street, Boulder, in 1898. In 1903, a store opened in Hay Street, Perth, the success of which was such that the business constructed Bairds Arcade running from Hay to Murray Streets in 1905. General hardware, gift merchandise and toys were some of the products sold there.

In December 1969, the Myer Emporium Ltd bought out Bairds Limited of Perth and Fremantle, and Bairds Building was rebranded to the Myer name. This continued until the development of Forrest Chase in early 1989, when Myer relocated to the new building. After this, Bairds Building remained empty until 2003 when it was closed by WorkSafe due to the presence of asbestos. Following extensive renovations, Bairds Building is used as the offices of Western Australia’s State Heritage Office.